Title: Implantable Defibrillator Wires Prone to Failure
Category: Health News
Created: 5/1/2007 2:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Title: New Drug Fails to Improve Odds for Heart Failure Patients
Category: Health News
Created: 5/2/2007 2:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/2/2007 12:00:00 AM

Title: Fish Oil Doesn't Cut Failure Rate of Hemodialysis Grafts
Category: Health News
Created: 5/1/2012 6:05:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 5/2/2012 12:00:00 AM

Title: Aspirin as Effective as Warfarin for Heart Failure: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 5/2/2012 6:05:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 5/3/2012 12:00:00 AM

Title: Knowledge Is Power for Patients With Heart Failure
Category: Health News
Created: 4/29/2015 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/30/2015 12:00:00 AM

Title: Heart Failure Implant Tied to Weakening of Thinking, Memory
Category: Health News
Created: 4/30/2015 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/1/2015 12:00:00 AM

Title: Heart Failure, Job Loss May Be Deadly Combo
Category: Health News
Created: 5/2/2017 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/3/2017 12:00:00 AM

Title: Have Heart Failure? Take Precautions During Pandemic
Category: Health News
Created: 4/28/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/28/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: FDA OKs Farxiga for Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction
Category: Health News
Created: 5/6/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/7/2020 12:00:00 AM

The FDA today approved a new use for the diabetes drug, dapagliflozin (Farxiga), to reduce the risk of a hospital stay or death in people who have a type of heart failure.

Upper Lutetian–Bartonian sedimentary mélanges, corresponding to ancient mud-rich submarine mass transport deposits, are widely distributed over an area c. 300 km long and tens of kilometres wide along the exhumed outer part of the External Ligurian accretionary wedge in the Northern Apennines. The occurrence of methane-derived carbonate concretions (septarians) in a specific tectonostratigraphic position below these sedimentary mélanges allows us to document the relationships among a significant period of regional-scale slope failure, climate change (the Early and Mid-Eocene Optimum stages), the dissociation of gas hydrates and accretionary tectonics during the Ligurian Tectonic Phase (early–mid-Lutetian). The distribution of septarians at the core of thrust-related anticlines suggests that the dissociation of gas hydrates was triggered by accretionary tectonics rather than climate change. The different ages of slope failure emplacement and the formation of the septarians support the view that the dissociation of gas hydrates was not the most important trigger for slope failure. The latter occurred during a tectonic quiescence stage associated with a regressive depositional trend, and probably minor residual tectonic pulses, which followed the Ligurian Tectonic Phase, favouring the dynamic re-equilibrium of the External Ligurian accretionary wedge. Our findings provide useful information for a better understanding of the factors controlling giant slope failure events in modern accretionary settings, where they may cause tsunamis.

Inadequate insulin secretion in response to glucose is an important factor for β-cell failure in type 2 diabetes (T2D). Although HMG-CoA reductase degradation 1 (HRD1), a subunit of the endoplasmic reticulum–associated degradation complex, plays a pivotal role in β-cell function, HRD1 elevation in a diabetic setting contributes to β-cell dysfunction. We report in this study the excessive HRD1 expression in islets from humans with T2D and T2D mice. Functional studies reveal that β-cell–specific HRD1 overexpression triggers impaired insulin secretion that will ultimately lead to severe hyperglycemia; by contrast, HRD1 knockdown improves glucose control and response in diabetic models. Proteomic analysis results reveal a large HRD1 interactome, which includes v-maf musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homolog A (MafA), a master regulator of genes implicated in the maintenance of β-cell function. Furthermore, mechanistic assay results indicate that HRD1 is a novel E3 ubiquitin ligase that targets MafA for ubiquitination and degradation in diabetic β-cells, resulting in cytoplasmic accumulation of MafA and in the reduction of its biological function in the nucleus. Our results not only reveal the pathological importance of excessive HRD1 in β-cell dysfunction but also establish the therapeutic importance of targeting HRD1 in order to prevent MafA loss and suppress the development of T2D.

PURPOSE

Operational failures are system-level errors in the supply of information, equipment, and materials to health care personnel. We aimed to review and synthesize the research literature to determine how operational failures in primary care affect the work of primary care physicians.

Background and objectives

Uromodulin is exclusively produced by tubular epithelial cells and released into urine and serum. Higher serum uromodulin has been associated with lower risk for kidney failure in Chinese patients with CKD and with lower risk for mortality in the elderly and in patients undergoing coronary angiography. We hypothesized that lower serum uromodulin is associated with mortality, cardiovascular events, and kidney failure in white patients with CKD.

Combined pre-and post-capillary hypertension (CpcPH) is a relatively common complication of heart failure (HF) associated with a poor prognosis. Currently, there is no specific therapy approved for this entity. Recently, treatment with beta-3 adrenergic receptor (β3AR) agonists was able to improve pulmonary hemodynamics and right ventricular (RV) performance in a translational, large animal model of chronic PH. The authors present the design of a phase II randomized clinical trial that tests the benefits of mirabegron (a clinically available β3AR agonist) in patients with CpcPH due to HF. The effect of β3AR treatment will be evaluated on pulmonary hemodynamics, as well as clinical, biochemical, and advanced cardiac imaging parameters. (Beta3 Agonist Treatment in Chronic Pulmonary Hypertension Secondary to Heart Failure [SPHERE-HF]; NCT02775539)

A 40-year-old, male non-smoker was diagnosed with asthma 6 years ago. He now presents with a 1-week history of worsening breathlessness with fever, cough, and purulent expectoration. He has had >10 emergency department visits and two admissions to hospital in the last 3 months. At each admission, he received bronchodilators and systemic steroids resulting in rapid improvement within 24 h. However, in the current presentation, the patient has no relief with corticosteroids and bronchodilators. His pulse is 140 per min, respiratory rate is 40 per min, blood pressure is 90/60 mmHg and room air oxygen saturation is 80%. Arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis shows hypercapnic respiratory failure. In view this respiratory failure, the patient is intubated and mechanical ventilation initiated. A chest radiograph is shown in figure 1. The therapy initiated includes bronchodilators, a systemic steroid, antibiotics and supportive care.

Etravirine (ETR) is a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) used in treatment-experienced individuals. Genotypic resistance test-interpretation systems can predict ETR resistance; however, genotype-based algorithms are derived primarily from HIV-1 subtype B and may not accurately predict resistance in non-B subtypes. The frequency of ETR resistance among recombinant subtype C HIV-1 and the accuracy of genotypic interpretation systems were investigated. HIV-1_LAI containing full-length RT from HIV-1 subtype C-positive individuals experiencing virologic failure (>10,000 copies/ml and >1 NNRTI resistance-associated mutation) were phenotyped for ETR susceptibility. Fold change (FC) was calculated against a composite 50% effective concentration (EC₅₀) from treatment-naive individuals and three classifications were assigned: (i) <2.9-FC, susceptible; (ii) ≥2.9- to 10-FC, partially resistant; and (iii) >10-FC, fully resistant. The Stanford HIVdb-v8.4 was used for genotype predictions merging the susceptible/potential low-level and low-level/intermediate groups for 3 x 3 comparison. Fifty-four of a hundred samples had reduced ETR susceptibility (≥2.9-FC). The FC correlated with HIVdb-v8.4 (Spearman’s rho = 0.62; P < 0.0001); however, 44% of samples were partially (1 resistance classification difference) and 4% completely discordant (2 resistance classification differences). Of the 34 samples with an FC of >10, 26 were HIVdb-v8.4 classified as low-intermediate resistant. Mutations L100I, Y181C, or M230L were present in 27/34 (79%) of samples with an FC of >10 but only in 2/46 (4%) of samples with an FC of <2.9. No other mutations were associated with ETR resistance. Viruses containing the mutation K65R were associated with reduced ETR susceptibility, but 65R reversions did not increase ETR susceptibility. Therefore, genotypic interpretation systems were found to misclassify ETR susceptibility in HIV-1 subtype C samples. Modifications to genotypic algorithms are needed to improve the prediction of ETR resistance for the HIV-1 subtype C.

Plasmodium vivax relapse is one of the major causes of sustained global malaria transmission. Primaquine (PQ) is the only commercial drug available to prevent relapses, and its efficacy is dependent on metabolic activation by cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6). Impaired CYP2D6 function, caused by allelic polymorphisms, leads to the therapeutic failure of PQ as a radical cure for P. vivax malaria. Here, we hypothesized that the host immune response to malaria parasites modulates susceptibility to P. vivax recurrences in association with CYP2D6 activity. We performed a 10-year retrospective study by genotyping CYP2D6 polymorphisms in 261 malaria-exposed individuals from the Brazilian Amazon. The immune responses against a panel of P. vivax blood-stage antigens were evaluated by serological assays. We confirmed our previous findings, which indicated an association between impaired CYP2D6 activity and a higher risk of multiple episodes of P. vivax recurrence (risk ratio, 1.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2 to 2.6; P = 0.0035). An important finding was a reduction of 3% in the risk of recurrence (risk ratio, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.96 to 0.98; P < 0.0001) per year of malaria exposure, which was observed for individuals with both reduced and normal CYP2D6 activity. Accordingly, subjects with long-term malaria exposure and persistent antibody responses to various antigens showed fewer episodes of malaria recurrence. Our findings have direct implications for malaria control, since it was shown that nonimmune individuals who do not respond adequately to treatment due to reduced CYP2D6 activity may present a significant challenge for sustainable progress toward P. vivax malaria elimination.

Wildlife conservation efforts are essential to preventing outbreaks, scientists and advocates say

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For more than five years, wildlife conservationists in the US have been clamoring for the government to provide Endangered Species Act protections to pangolins, a group of imperiled ant-eating mammals that are widely, and often illicitly, trafficked for their scales and meat. The Trump administration, however, has refused to act and that refusal has suddenly taken on grave new implications.

Earlier this year, scientists in China identified pangolins, along with bats, as one of the possible animal hosts involved in the transmission of the deadly coronavirus from wildlife to humans.

Police in New York broke up a "4/20" marijuana party in Manhattan after receiving a tip that nearly 40 people were not practising social distancing during the coronavirus outbreak.

Piers Morgan today hit out at the Government's "spectacular failure" for doing fewer coronavirus tests than 12 days ago.

Of $75 million in loans, state gets $2.5 million from "tapped out" baseball star.

Lionel Messi is largely to blame for Philippe Coutinho's failure to succeed at Barcelona, according to club legend Rivaldo.

Regional centres are concerned they could be badly hit by the potential collapse of Virgin Australia, with higher airfares and less competition.

Fuel prices have plummeted across Australia during the coronavirus pandemic, but the ACT Government says they are not falling quickly enough in Canberra — and they are going to do something about it if prices do not fall to below $1 per litre this weekend.

Liberal government's gun ban is craven wedge politics that will do nothing to advance public safety, writes Jay Nathwani.

The government has blamed "technical issues" in labs for its failure to reach its coronavirus test target for four consecutive days.

Farxiga is the first sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor cleared by the FDA to treat heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

The FDA has moved to approve an oral tablet formulation of AstraZeneca’s Farxiga (dapagliflozin) to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalisation in adult patients with New York Heart Association’s functional class II-IV heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Farxiga (dapagliflozin) has been approved in the US to reduce the risk of cardiovascular (CV) death and…

AstraZeneca has watched superstar SGLT2 diabetes med Farxiga nail trial after trial in highly coveted kidney and heart failure indications, with the FDA expediting reviews to back them up. The one thing AstraZeneca was missing? The agency taking Farxiga across the finish line. 

Marshall E. Sanders, an attorney based in Vicksburg, Miss., was sentenced to 18 months in prison for failure to file tax returns by Magistrate Judge James C. Sumner. In addition, Judge Sumner ordered Sanders to pay restitution to the IRS of $1,025,453.

A federal court in Boston issued a judgment against Excel Home Care Inc. in the amount of $473,510.76 for unpaid federal employment and unemployment taxes after its owner Diane E. Porter consented to the entry of an order of permanent injunction that prohibits her or anyone else from operating this Tewksbury, Mass., home health care provider.

Dallas S. Hale of Reston, Va., pleaded guilty today to willful failure to file a tax return.

Thomas S. Pendleton, 66, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Gregory M. Sleet in Wilmington, Del., to the statutory maximum of 30 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for traveling to Germany to have sex with a minor.

Medical device manufacturer Guidant LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boston Scientific Corporation, was charged today with criminal violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act related to safety problems with some of its implantable defibrillators.

Lee Bentley Farkas, the former chairman of a private mortgage lending company, Taylor, Bean & Whitaker (TBW), was arrested last night in Ocala, Fla., and charged in a 16-count indictment for his alleged role in a more than $1.9 billion fraud scheme that contributed to the failures of Colonial Bank, one of the 50 largest banks in the United States in 2009, and TBW, one of the largest privately held mortgage lending companies in the United States in 2009.

Roberto Trevizo Corral, a resident of Nampa, Idaho, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison and ordered to pay $771,252.11 in restitution for failing to collect and pay over employment taxes.

Guidant LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boston Scientific Corporation, was formally convicted and sentenced today in St. Paul, Minn., for criminal violations relating to its interactions with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Desiree Brown, the former treasurer of a private mortgage lending company, Taylor, Bean & Whitaker (TBW), pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit bank, wire and securities fraud for her role in a more than $1.9 billion fraud scheme that contributed to the failures of Colonial Bank and TBW

A Virginia contractor pleaded guilty to participating in a scheme to steer contracts to him for repair, maintenance and renovation work at healthcare and nursing home facilities owned by Medical Facilities of America Inc.

Janet Jaensch, a federal employee, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., to one count of failure to file a 2008 federal income tax return.

Lee Bentley Farkas, the former chairman of a private mortgage lending company, Taylor, Bean & Whitaker (TBW), was convicted today for his role in a more than $2.9 billion fraud scheme that contributed to the failures of Colonial Bank, one of the 25 largest banks in the United States in 2009, and TBW, one of the largest privately held mortgage lending companies in the United States in 2009.

Frank G. Bivings and Isabelle Blanco of Washington, D.C., co-owners of The Bivings Group Inc., pleaded guilty today to charges stemming from the failure to pay more than $2 million in employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.

Anthony Chaudhuri and Margaret Chaudhuri, of Naples, Fla. were indicted by a federal grand jury on Aug. 8, 2011, in Detroit, with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, 11 counts of failure to account for and pay over employment taxes and one count of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct or impede the due administration of the Internal Revenue laws.

Scios Inc., a subsidiary of pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, pleaded guilty today to a misdemeanor violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act for introducing into interstate commerce its heart failure drug, Natrecor, for a use that was not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Louis Alba pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Central Islip, N.Y., to failing to pay over to the Internal Revenue Service employment taxes.